Fire-escape.



PATBNTED APR. 5, 1904.

J. B. IRVING.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. a, 1902.

NO MODEL.

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UNTTan STATES Patented April 5, i904;

JAMES B IRVING, CF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY;

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,641, dated April 5,- 1904.

Application filed January 3, .1902. Serial No. 38,2913. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it Wwf/y concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMus B. IRVING, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Covington, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes, of which the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes which have a friction member that supports the person descending and that slides in contactwith a guide-rope.

The object of my invention is a fire-escape of the character described 'in which the friction member is moved down the rope at a desirable speed by the weight of the person, which may be readily regulated for people of different weights, and which automatically decreases in speed and stops as the person nears the ground. This object is attained by the means described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis acentral sectional view of afireescape embodying' my invention, showing the rope broken out near the end and the parts broug'ht together to economize space. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same with the rope removed.

Referring to the parts, plate A, which has a hook t at its lower end for receiving rope or other support B for the person descending, has a series of holes a, one below the other, through which a rope C, whose upper end carries a hook c for securing ina window or other firm support, is successively passed and at its lower end is turned into a guiding-tube 0,2. The holes are beveled olip upon the edges which contact the rope.

The rapidity with which with a certain sized rope a known weight will move plate A down the rope may be made greater by increasing' the amount of bevel upon the edges of holes a. IVith holes of a fixed character in the plate, by increasing the size of the rope the rate at which a certain weight will cause the plate to descend may be lessened. Near the lower end c/ ofthe rope C, I gradually enlarge it, so that as plate A reaches the end of the rope the speed of descent is gradually lessened.

Rope C may have feet marked off upon it from its end, so that hook c may be secured to it at the same distance from the end thata persons sleeping apartment is distant from the ground.

A person having one of my fire-escapes of the size for him and having it adjusted as just described to use it need only secure it to the window and get into support B. IVithout any manipulation of parts he will then descend at al desirable speed, and as he approaches the ground his speed will gradually slacken and stop just as he reaches the ground.

In order to guard against accidents and to allow the one descending to stop or to regulate his speed in his descent, I employ a brake D, which consists of a fiat plate and which is hinged at the upper end of plate A upon a perforated lug as, projecting outward from plate A upon the Opposite side from tube a2, so that the brake when pressing upon the rope stands in a position substantially parallel to' plate A. Brake D has at its lower end a reduced handle e7, by grasping which and press- Ving the brake inward against rope C the speed of descent may be lessened or entirely checked at the persons will.

Above hook a and in alinement with its end a lug a" projects out from plate A. Upon lug ai* is mounted a sliding tube E, which has a longitudinal slot e with an angular branch e at its upper end to engage a stud a5 upon lug Tube E may be projected across the openingbetween lug and the end of hook (t and locked in that position by bringing stud a5 into branch a to prevent support B from being dislodged from the hook.

That I claim is A fire-escape consisting of a plate having in it a series of holes one below the`other and beveled upon their edges and a lug projecting forward from one end thereof, a flat plate pivoted upon the lug to be adapted to be brought to a position parallel to the plate, in combination with a rope passing in through one and out through the next `hole of the series, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES B. IRVING. IVitnesses:

`W. F. MURRAY, EMMA LYFORD. 

